Flexible writing instrument



Nov. l0, 1959 N. FREEMAN 2,911,950

FLEXIBLEl WRITING INSTRUMENT y Filed Nov. 7, 1955 7T-z ezzr'. eZZeemam.

United States Patent() FLEXIBLE WRITING lNs'rRU'MENT Nell Freeman,Chicago, lll. y

Application November 7, 1955, Serial No. 545,393

3 Claims. (ci. izo-42.4)

This invention relates to .a flexible writing instrument createdespecially for safe use by infants and Vsmall children, although it maywell have other uses.

It has been known for many generations that writing instruments of thenature of ordinary pencils and pens have an especial fascination forvery young children, and that their unskilled use and handling of suchinstruments is a very considerable source of 4danger to them andsometimesA is the cause of serious injuries. As a yconsequence, parentsendeavor to prevent children from carrying these ordinary writinginstruments as they walk or creep because of the grave danger that thechildren may fall on such rigid instruments and be injured thereby. Sofar as I know, no effective writing instrument has heretofore beenavailable for small children, which is at the saine time safe for themto use.

My invention provides such a safe instrument by cornbining a ball pointfluid applicator such as is commonly incorporated in the well known ballpoint pens, together with a holder or gripping member therefor which isextremely flexible and which will upon slight pressure endwise, bedeflected at least 90 or more, so that the endwise pressure thereoncannot force either end of the instrument into the childs body, shouldthe child fall thereon.

The general object of the invention therefore is to provide a flexiblewriting instrument which will serve the above described safety purpose.

Another object of the invention is to embody the above mentioned safetywriting instrument in a structure which can be manufactured at such alow cost as to make it available for use by little children of even thelowest income groups.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be mentionedhereinafter or will become apparent from a perusal of the followingspecification in which a preferred embodiment of the invention isdescribed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of laflexible writing instrument made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the same device shown deflected morethan 90.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a hollow casing generallyindicated as 11 which may be provided with peripheral shoulders 12 and13, and a ball applicator 14 mounted in 'any conventional or suitablemanner in the outer end of the casing, as is customary for ball pointpens, the applicator serving as the writing point for a conventionalball point ink or liquid graphite.

The holder or gripping member, generally designated as 15, is formed ofsome highly flexible material such as a relatively soft rubber, or anyother suitable flexible material, which may be manufactured by a moldingprocess, or otherwise, to frictionally engage and hold the ball pointcasing, for example, by interlocking engagement with shoulders 12 and13, and also to have provided therein .a longitudinal duct 16 which willserve as a reservoir for the writing fluid. If desired, and it is sopreferred, both ends of the holder may be rounded to any desired andsuitable curvature to enhance the safe use of the instrument. Forexample, the writing end at 17 may be shaped as shown, or somewhatsimilar thereto, leaving enough of Athe ball point exposed to facilitateits use at a convenient angle for Writing. The other end of the holderat 18 may likewise be provided with a curved shape, and if desired aplug 19 may lbe inserted into the enlarged open end of the passage 16and sealed therein, adhesively or otherwise, to prevent the escape ofthe writing fluid through that end.

Preferably, when the pen is loaded a substantial amount of air spacewill be provided between the end of the Writing fluid column 20 and theplug 19 so that during flexing of the instrument the air therein may becompressed without forcing the writing fluid out through the ball pointinadvertently.

` In the manufacture of the device, the holder 15 may bern'olded withthe ball point casing in place. Or, if desired, by suitably shaping andproportioning of the casing and the space which it is to occupy, thecasing may be inserted endwise into the instrument, for example, byfirst molding the Vholder 15 around a suitable core, and 'after thematerial of the holder 'has cooled and set, removing the core.Thereafter the .casing V11 carrying the ball 14 could be inserted intothe bore provided .by the core. Upon molding in place or subsequentinsertion, the hollow central passage of the casing would be placed inregistration with the duct 16. y

The holder should be made of such suitable material that it will notonly flex as described hereinafter but preferably returns substantiallyto its original shape after release from flexing pressure.

If desired, a flexible tube may be provided for attachment to or forregistration with the casing for containing the writing fluid. If suchtube is provided it preferably would be of such material and soproportioned and mounted in the passage 16 as not to interfere with theabove mentioned desired flexibility of the holder. Such tube is notillustrated but with the labove explanation given it will now be obvioushow it may be provided to fit in the passage 16, either loosely orsnugly.

When the Writing instrument is thus made in accordance with thisinvention it may be exteriorly colored or decorated to simulateconventional pens or pencils so that it will be accepted as a substitutetherefor by infants. For example, its exterior surface may be providedwith the conventional octagonal shape of pencils and pens,

or other suitable shapes. Should a child fall while carrying a Writinginstrument made in accordance with my invention, pressure exertedlengthwise of the instrument will cause it to deflect under moderatepressure to more than which will then leave but a small or negligiblecomponent of force tending to press either end of the instrument againstthe body of the child, while at the same time, the flexing of theinstrument will tend to kick it out of the position `which it hasoccupied during flexing,

which should immediately relieve the danger.

As to the writing fluids which may be used in this invention, a numberare already commercially available including various types of ink andliquid graphite suspensions and solutions.

The flexibility of the instrument should be such that it Will flex morethan 90 under a pressure of less than two pounds, this top figure beingselected as more than reasonable, but it is preferred and it ispractical to make an instrument which will flex that much under pressureof one pound or less.

It should be understood that the embodiment shown herein has beenselected for illustrative purposes Iand that the invention issusceptible of some modification and variation within the scope of theappended claims.

Having shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. A writing instrument comprising a short rigid casing having a Writingfluid ball point applicator protruding therefrom, a relatively longflexible soft rubber holder having a blunt rounded end portion securedto and wholly enclosing said casing except the protruding ball point andprovided with a central relatively slender duct for containing ballpoint writing iluid in operative communication with said ball point, themain portion of the holder being primarily solid except for said duct,the end of the holder opposite the ball point end being blunt androunded and having means sealing the adjoining end of the duct, theholder having a length and diameter suitable as a conventional writinggrip, the m-ain body of the holder being resilient and self-restoringbut sufficiently flexible as to be deectable by an endwise pressure onthe order of about two pounds to an angle of less than 90 between itsends.

2. A writingv instrument comprising a short rigid casing having awriting fluid ball point applicator protruding therefrom, a relativelylong exible soft rubber holder having a blunt rounded end portionsecured to and wholly enclosing said casing except the protruding ballpoint and provided with a central relatively slender duct for containingball point writing Huid in operative communication with said ball point,the main portion of the holder being of uniform composition andprimarily solid except for said duct,the end of the holder opposite theball point end being blunt and rounded and having means sealing theadjoining end of the duct, the holder having a length and diametersuitable as a conventional writing grip, the main body of the holderbeing sufciently flexible to be deectable more than 90 when subject toan endwise pressure on the order of about two pounds, and beingsufciently resilient to be self-restoring.

3. A writing instrument comprising a short rigid casing having a Writingfluid ball point applicator protruding therefrom, a relatively longflexible soft molded holder having a tiexibility equivalent to that ofsoft rubber and having a blunt rounded end portion secured to and whollyenclosing said casing except the protruding ball point and provided witha central relatively slender duct for containing ball point writing uidin operative communication with said ball point, the main portion of theholder being primarily solid except for said duct, the end of the holderopposite the ball point end being blunt and rounded and having meanssealing the adjoining end of the duct, the holder having a length anddiameter suitable as a conventional writing grip, the main body of theholder being resilient and self-restoring but suiliciently ilexible asto be deectable by an endwise pressure on the order of about two poundsto an angle of less than 90 between its ends.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,647,536 Miller Nov. 1, 1927 1,950,960 Wisser Mar. 13, 1934 2,266,942Wallace Dec. 23, 1941 2,449,939 Heyberger Sept. 21, 1948 2,487,461McKinney Nov. 8, 1949 `2,644,613 Pepin July 7, 1953

